Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 131708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
Ella gave her a subtle nod, and Viper sensed they were speaking telepathically.
The other couple then left, leaving him and his woman alone.
Viper pushed away from his desk and cautiously approached her, alert for signs that she needed a little space. But she didn’t seize up or frown or back away. Her expression was pensive. “What’re you thinking?” he asked.
“I’m wondering”—she tilted her head—“if you’ve fed from me.”
“I haven’t, no. But I want to.” His reply was frank. Unapologetic. Edged with a sexual undertone that he hadn’t been able to suppress.
“Why haven’t you? You could have made me forget.”
“I want you to give me your blood of your own free will. Or not at all.”
The line between her brows smoothed away. “But you take blood from others without their permission.”
“They don’t belong to me. You do.” The knots in his gut fell away when she didn’t object to that. It meant they hadn’t gone a step backwards.
“How often do you have to feed?”
“At least weekly.” For his brothers, it was daily. But they weren’t archangels.
“Do you make the bites pleasurable?”
“I personally don’t, no. We can if we want to, though. Some do. Some don’t. Some do it occasionally. Our inner entities generally don’t like us to make it pleasurable, being cruel as they are. Though my entity would be different with you. It likes you.” Just the mere thought of tasting her blood again made Viper’s cock stir.
“You told me a lot tonight, but there’s more you’re keeping from me—if the rumors about you are true, why you fell from the upper realm, and … something else. Something bigger. I can feel it.”
He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Another time, I’ll tell you the rest.”
“Why not now?”
“I don’t want to pile everything on you at once. My tale is a long story with several moving parts—a lot to take in and process.”
Her eyes went slitted. “That’s not the only reason you’re holding back. Admit it, you’re stalling.”
Viper slid one hand up to palm the side of her neck. “Be fair, baby,” he said, his tone soft. “You’re asking me to tell you my deepest, darkest secrets. And you’re asking me to do it merely to appease your curiosity. I need the certainty that you’re not going anywhere before I lay it all out. You can’t give me that yet, can you?”
Her head flicked to the side. “You don’t want me to go anywhere?”
“Of course I fucking don’t.”
She licked her lips, something warm flashing in her gaze. “We suck at keeping things simple, don’t we?”
“We do.” They had in her previous life as well, their connection too intense; a connection that ran soul-deep. Humming, he delved a proprietary hand into her hair and loosely fisted it. “So I’m thinking I should keep you. It makes sense, since I’d want to rip out the throat of anyone who touched you.”
She gave him a wan smile. “Seems we have a bit of a conundrum, then. You’re hesitant to tell me until you’re confident I’m sticking around, which I get … but I can’t fully commit to you when there’s so much I don’t know.”
Viper had figured as much, hence why he was intent on reeling her so far in she’d never think of walking away. “For now … I say we keep going as we are. Sort of.”
“Sort of?”
“Like you said, we suck at keeping things simple. So let’s complicate them a little.”
“In what way?”
“We stop calling what we have an arrangement or a fling and call it what it really is.”
Her mouth quirked. “A relationship.”
He nodded, relieved she’d admitted it. “It might not have been in your original plans, but it’s what we have. So let’s just keep building on it.”
Her throat bobbed. “Okay.”
Feeling his lips bow up, he lowered his face to hers. “Good.” He gave her a quick kiss. “What’s with the frown?”
“I’m worried that others might find out your secret. You’re sure you can keep it under wraps?”
“My kind have been doing it since they first fell eons ago.”
“But with the technology we have today, it isn’t so easy to keep secrets. Everyone’s a photographer in this day and age, thanks to the cameras on their cell phones.”
“Which is why my brothers and I only feed here in the club. It reduces the risk of anyone seeing anything they shouldn’t, as does the fog and the darkness. You ever tried to snap a picture in the club? They always come out fuzzy and staticky.”
“Hmm, I haven’t actually attempted it. That you guys are powerful enough to render cameras useless is impressive.” She cocked her head. “What about when you feed during battle? That must pose risks.”
“Some people found out our secret that way, but none who would tell. They’re allies, and they have their own secrets to protect. Secrets we learned and could expose if they crossed us.” He stroked her hair. “I’m sorry you found out this way. I didn’t want that. It never occurred to me that one of my brothers would let it slip like that, so I thought I had time.” Time to rehearse what he’d say, plan where and when he’d tell her.